Like A Bat Outta Hell
by TacticianZephine
Summary: Resubmitted due to error. She was just like any other girl her age, right? Rated for language.


**Okay! The fic has returned, and whatever deleted it has been taken care of. Ember + Just about everything in this fic - the Knights, Ember's Mom, Todd, the teacher, Daniel, Felicity, and Daniel's brother = Not mine.**

**I got some really great reviews on the first copy, so thanks guys!**

* * *

The crowd roars, screaming my name. I feel myself getting stronger. My ponytail burns fierecely.

I can't help but think back to when I was an ordinary teen, just like most.

Rebels like me were big in the '80s. My family didn't like the way I dressed, or the music I liked and played, or pretty much anything about me, but they accepted me.

Unlike many teens, though, I was betrayed by the boy I had loved since I moved to this one-horse town.

Life sucks. Then, you die.

I was just that lucky.

I was a teenage rockstar. And this is the story of my...death.

You thought I was going to say life, didn't you?

Well, fret not, it involves my life, so you do get a bit of biography right now.

My mother married a man who I thought was my dad until I was nine. His name was Todd Hallerson. He drank. He abused my mother and me.

One day, when I was eight, Mom had it with Todd and his drinking, and torched our house. I was sent to the county children's home, and never saw my mother again. I got word that Todd killed her and then himself.

I lived most of my life there. No one wanted me. I dressed mostly in blacks and neon colors, I'd dyed my beautiful, long red hair electric blue, and my most prized

When I was sixteen, I was taken in by a compassionate family, one who wouldn't try to change me. Their last name was Knight. Weird, huh? But anyway, this isn't about them, not really.

No, this is how a boy named Daniel contributed ruining my life, and then the screwing up of my death.

It was late September. It had been two weeks since I'd last heard from Daniel. I was getting worried about him. He never returned my calls. So, one day, I hopped a bus to his place.

I was knocking on Daniel's door in fifteen minutes. He answered it rather hurriedly. "Can I help...oh. Hi."

"Hi," I said, folding my arms. "So, uh, how you been, huh?"

"Fine. Uh, look, this really isn't a good-"

"Daniel? Who's at the door?"

I froze. "Who's in your room?"

Then, She walked out.

Felicity McAsher.

Dressed in a skimpy pink top and a skirt that our school principal would never allow.

My jaw dropped to the floor.

"Wha...Daniel...but..." I was stammering.

"Look, it's not what you think, honest!" Daniel tried to defend himself.

"Oh just tell her the truth. We're dating," Felicity said, turning to me.

I couldn't speak. I turned to Daniel. "...Is that true?" I managed.

"April, I wanted to tell you, but..." he started.

I never knew what he wanted to say. I turned tail and ran back to my house in half the time that it took me to get there. On the bus.

He didn't even remember my name. The fucker didn't even remember my name!

I locked myself in my room. I picked my guitar up, stroked it gently, and began to play. I drowned myself out with other rock stars' work blasting from my stereo. I had lost all confidence in my own music.

I sank deeper and deeper into depression. The girl that the Knights had adopted was gone.

One day, Christmas Eve, to be exact, I decided that enough was enough.

It was nearing midnight when I slipped out of the house with nothing other than my guitar and the clothes on my back.

I whipped the cover off Dan's motorcycle and mounted it.

His radio turned on with the bike, playing Sweet's "Hell Raiser", and I sped off into the night.

_**She's a hell raiser!**_

_**Star chaser!**_

_**Trail blazer!**_

My first stop was Daniel's place. I had something of a Christmas present for him.

I made my way up to his room, and slipped in. He looked like such an angel while he slept. But I knew better.

I re-read the letter I'd written him, just to make sure it was absolutely perfect.

_Dear Daniel,_

_I just want to say goodbye. I know you probably won't care, but it needs to be said. This was the only way to rid myself of you. I am not sorry that I did what I did. I had to forget you somehow, and this was the only way to do it. I doubt anyone else will remember me. My parents forgot me._ _They didn't remember my name, but you will, Daniel. You __**will**__ remember my name. Somehow, I will make you know who I am_.

I didn't sign my name. It was utterly pointless. He didn't remember it before, why would he remember it now?

I was about to put the note under his alarm clock or just on his nightstand, but a new idea struck me. Just to make him suffer, I'd let his brother break it to him.

I slipped into Spike's room and, using the wall to lean on, scrawled _To Daniel. Merry Christmas_ on the front. Spike would just think that someone had gotten him and his brother mixed up, a mistake I'd seen teachers make before.

Setting the note silently on Spike's nightstand, I turned to the sleeping teenager. He was a year younger than me, and was always out with friends or something, so I never saw him much, but he still kind of felt like a little brother to me. "Goodbye, kid. I'm gonna miss you. Do me a favor, and try not to be as much of a jerky boyfriend as your brother."

I slipped out of the house and got back on the bike. Kicking it to life, I high-tailed it out of there. Meat Loaf's "Bat Out Of Hell" came over the radio. Ah, good ol' Meat Loaf.

_**My skin is raw but my soul is ripe, and no one's gonna stop me now**_

That's how I felt after a while. Mainly from the cold, and from determination.

_**Gotta make my escape**_

Yeah. I was going to escape this living Hell. No matter what it took, I was going to get out.

_**But I can't stop thinkin' of you**_

That was just it. I _couldn't_ stop thinking about him. Why was Meat Loaf always in tune with what I was doing?

I sped up, knowing now that the road could become black glass at anytime.

I didn't care.

_**And I never see the sudden curve till it's way too late**_

Which is exactly what happened.

I was suddenly spinning out of control. My pathetic life flashed before my eyes.

_**And I never see the sudden curve till it's way too late**_

My world was consumed by pain and fire.

_**Then I'm dyin' at the bottom of a pit in the blazin' sun**_

I could still hear the radio playing, even though the bike was smoldering and me with it.

_**Torn and twisted at the foot of a burnin' bike**_

That I was. My hair was tangled in the bike's spokes, and my blue ponytail was aflame.

_**And I think somebody somewhere must be tollin' a bell**_

Well, if I was dying...obviously...no. No one knew that there was a girl dying in a ditch on the side of I-94.

_**And the last thing I see is my heart**_

My broken heart.

_**Still beating**_

I tried to look around. The fire had consumed my ponytail, and was nearly to my neck.

_**Breaking outta my body**_

I smiled madly. Wasn't this what I had wanted?

_**And flying away**_

Okay, where the hell was the whole black tunnel thing?

_**Like a bat outta Hell!**_

Was I seriously screwing up dying or something?

_**Then I'm dyin' at the bottom of a pit in the blazin' sun**_

Probably was. I failed at everything else.

_**Torn and twisted at the foot of a burnin' bike**_

My guitar lay in the weeds a few feet from me. I tried to get up and go get it, only to feel a searing pain in my lower back.

_**And I think somebody somewhere must be tollin' a bell**_

I was trapped under the bike. My spine was broken.

_**And the last thing I see is my heart**_

Perfect. If I didn't die, I was gonna be paralyzed.

_**Still beating**_

Someone pulled up and had obviously dialed 911.

_**Still beating **_

Where was my guitar again?

_**Breaking outta my body**_

I felt my soul begin to part with my body. Or, I thought I did. But even that proved to be too much effort for any part of me.

_**And flying away**_

Someone new picked me up. They'd had to chop off my ponytail to free me from the bike.

_**Like a bat outta Hell!**_

They set me down on a stretcher. I closed my eyes as voices swirled around me.

_**Like a bat outta Hell!**_

"Holy shit! Does leather really burn like that?!"

_**Like a bat outta Hell!**_

"Her heartbeat! No! Don't do this, kid!"

_**Like a bat outta Hell!**_

"We're gonna lose her. There's nothing we can do."

_**Like a bat outta Hell!**_

Those were the last human words I heard. The last thing I heard in all was Meat Loaf's voice.

_**Like a bat outta Hell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**_

0.0

When I opened my eyes, I was standing in the middle of a crowd. They were in a cemetary.

What the hell? I was still alive? Come the fuck on! What the hell did it take to kill yourself?!

"Who died?" I asked the nearest person. They didn't respond. "Hey, I'm talking to you!"

They turned to face me, but instead spoke to the person behind me.

"It's such a shame about April. She had such talent."

"Yes. I was her music teacher, you know."

Holy hell, it _was_ Mr. Townsend. What was he doing in a cemetary?

And who the hell was April?

Hanna appeared. "Mr. Townsend, Mother and Dad want to know if you'd like to say a few words about April."

"No, Hanna. Thank you for offering, but I don't want to break down."

I was confused. "Mr. Townsend? Who died?" I asked. He didn't hear me.

"I was so sorry to hear about the accident, Mr. and Mrs. Knight. I can't help but feel a bit guilty about it," a female voice said.

I whirled around. There, talking to my adoptive family, was Felicity McAsher, in a little black number that emphasized her chest. Daniel stood beside her in a pair of black pants and a white shirt under a black jacket.

Dan sighed. "I still can't fathom what she thought she was doing on my bike in the first place. One of the police officers says she crashed on purpose, but everyone else swears it was an accident."

"I'm sure I don't know why she did it, in any case," Tammy said. "But, come on, you two, it looks like it's going to rain. Let's get inside."

I watched the five of them walk away.

Felicity stayed back. "I can't believe you actually thought he liked you. He told me it was all pity. He didn't even know your name, April. I had to whisper it to him. Just thought I'd clear that up." She turned and walked away.

I stood up. "You wanna run that by me again, dipstick?" I called. She didn't hear me.

I clenched my fists. And realized I was still wearing the glove. I looked down and found that I was still clad in my midriff top and leather pants. My boots were intact as well. I reached up with my left hand to brush the two locks of hair that hung down out of my face...

...and was promptly burned.

I looked into a puddle. My hair was still electric blue and in its ponytail, but it now rippled of its own accord, like fire. There were still two stray locks in the front, which, coupled with my widow's peak, made my hairline look like an "M". My skin was pasty white, and nearly transparent. There was still eyeliner and makeup on my face, and my lipstick was still on. My eyes glowed green.

What had happened to me?

After the crowd cleared, I approached the grave. I read the simple tombstone.

_April Josephine Mclehyn_

_1970-1986_

_Victim of A Terrible Motorcycle Crash_

_Reqiuescantem Pace_

...

Who the hell was that?

0.o

Wandering around the cemetary, I found the tombstone of my best friend, Penelope. She'd been raped and killed by a bunch of drunk hippies outside a bar she had to pass walking home.

"Sucks, doesn't it?" a familiar voice said.

I whirled around.

Penelope! Wow, she looked...different. Like a shadow with red eyes.

"Penny?" I asked.

"In the...ecto-plasm."

"Ecto-say what?"

"Plasm. Don't ask. And just so you know, until this time...probably next week, no one's gonna talk to you, or anything. They can't see you. So, you gotta come to the Ghost Zone with m-"

"Wait, wait, back up, what?"

"The Ghost Zone, that's where we have to go."

"But, I'm not a ghost. I'm not even dead."

"Uh..."

"What?"

"You're dead, Ember. I'm sorry."

0.o

"Aw, come on what the hell?!" I complained for the eighth time. "Why the hell am I still here?!"

"Obviously, it was due to your suicide," Penelope said for the ninth time, sounding bored.

"If it's suicide victims, what are you doing here?"

"I don't know, okay?! Maybe it's sudden, violent deaths? I just don't know," she snapped at me.

"Sorry, it's just, I was supposed to teach Daniel a lesson, and he feels nothing!"

"I know. But, apparently, you have to figure it out yourself. I have to get back to the Ghost Zone. Come on by when you've done what you have to."

"'Kay. Thanks."

I looked back at my headstone. I noticed now what they'd done to my name. First off, my first name was Ember, my middle name was Vanessa, and my last name was spelled "McLain."

0.o

I found my guitar, no one had bothered to get it. It had a new knob on it, surrounded by little symbols, and somehow I knew what the symbols were for.

What the hell, since I was dead, and no one in the backwater town remembered me...I was going to make a name for myself, one way or another.

I rounded up a few other dead musicians to join my new band. Shane, an amazing bassist; Bobby, a kickass drummer; and Ben, an amazing rythm guitarist.

0.o

"Five minutes, Ember," the stagehand called.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

I was my first concert since my "not so accidental accident", and I was ready. Ready to show Daniel (to whom I'd sent tickets to the show) that no one forgets Ember McLain.

_"Ladies and gentlemen...EMBER MCLAIN!!"_

That was my cue.

The boys and I appeared in our respective clouds of smoke.

"Hellllllo Poughkeepsie! Are you ready for a little youth revolution?!" I yelled as the boys began to play.

We played for hours, the crowd becoming more frenzied, chanting my name. I was getting stronger, my ponytail was glowing hotter and burning higher.

"All right, Poughkeepsie, I got time for one more song. This song is dedicated to someone in this audience. Someone I thought I loved, and who I thought loved me back. I was _dead_ wrong. Hit it boys!"

Bobby started off with the backbeat, while Shane and Ben played several harmony chords. This song was just me and my guitar as much as possible.

_"__Yeah! Ohh-ooohhh!  
It was, it was September,  
Wind blows, the dead leaves fall,  
To you, I did surrender,  
Two weeks, you didn't call...  
_

_Your life goes on without me,  
My life, a losing game,  
But you should, you should not doubt me,  
You will remember my name..._

_  
Oh, Ember, you will remember!  
Ember, one thing remains!  
Oh, Ember, so warm and tender!  
You will remember my name!_

_  
Your heart, your heart abandoned,  
Your wall, now perishing,  
Like bad dreams in cold December,  
Nothing but ashes remain..._

_  
Oh, Ember, you will remember!  
Ember, one thing remains!  
Ember, so warm and tender!  
You will remember my name!_

_  
Ooooooh, Ember!  
You will remember!  
Ember, one thing remains!  
Eh-Ember, so warm and tender!  
You will remember my name!  
Yeah! You will remember my naaaaaame!"_

Over the chanting of my name, and the screaming applause, I looked Daniel dead on in the eyes. "I told you, Daniel! I told you I'd make you remember me!"

Addressing the whole audience now, I yelled out my soon to be famous closing line.

"THE NAME IS EMBER MCLAIN, AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT!"


End file.
